I Need to Think About That, Issue #146

About a year ago, a client named Joan sent me an email asking me to meet with her about?the three remaining hours on her Debit Card.

The time she had purchased was about to expire, so I was glad to hear from her.

Much to my surprise, instead of asking me to help her with a project, she requested a refund.

Joan told me she had changed direction after hiring me and couldn’t use the time she had left.

I took a breath and listened to her tell me why she had not used the time.

When she finished, I told her I had a no-refund policy.

Joan went on to explain that since she was a nonprofit, there were better uses for her money than working with me, and she hoped that I would respect that and give her a refund.

I must admit I was taken off guard by her request. But, thankfully, had enough of my wits about me to tell her I would think about it and get back to her in two days.

I could hear in her voice that Joan was shocked by my reply. She expected me to issue a refund immediately.

After letting the dust settle, I decided not to issue a refund to Joan because:

• My no-refund policy had been clearly stated when she decided to work with me
• Her nonprofit status has nothing to do with how my business is structured
• A refund would not be fair to other clients who had not used all of their time

I wrote her this email:

I've decided to honor my no-refund policy. ?

Before deciding to work together, I met with your team for over 30 minutes on Zoom. I answered all your questions, and you committed?to working with me for 5 hours. ?

This time is available to you and your team through the end of June. Here’s a link to my services page so you can see the many ways that I can assist:?https://rocketgirlsolutions.com/services/

#stoptalking. I never heard from Joan again, and that’s ok with me.

Belinda Sandor is the Founder of The VA Connection where she works with new, aspiring, and established Virtual Assistants to help them build thriving businesses through her free online community, courses, and coaching programs. You can learn more here: https://www.thevaconnection.com/